Wrong Turn Read online

  TWENTY-THREE

  Lucinda and Jake drove back to the Justice Center to talk to the lead investigator in Charley’s vandalism case. Lucinda didn’t know Sergeant Cafferty well but hoped for the best.

  Cafferty had made detective a short two months ago in the property crimes division. More experienced investigators got the big splashy cases involving huge sums of money. He was stuck with those that were deemed secondary as he paid his dues.

  Folding his arms across his chest and planting his feet, Cafferty said, ‘Ah, Jeez, lieutenant, did you come in here to laugh at me or bust my balls?’

  ‘Why would I do that, sergeant?’

  ‘Ah, c’mon, lieutenant. I know you had something to do with Bill Waller’s involvement in this mess. What’s the deal? The kid’s not charged with murder. It’s a simple, straightforward investigation of an act of vandalism involving a minor and you sic the big guns on me.’

  ‘Her father could afford it, why not?’

  ‘Because this is nothing. She’s never been in trouble before. The worst she’ll get is a fine and payment of damages. She’ll never get a day in juvie hall.’

  ‘She didn’t do it, sergeant.’

  ‘We caught her red-handed.’

  ‘No. You caught her with a can of red spray paint in her hand. Not the same thing as catching her in the act.’

  ‘Aw, c’mon, lieutenant.’

  ‘Look, sergeant, start thinking about the amount of damage done to that place. Do you really think one little girl could do all that? And what about the areas where the techs found urination? On closet walls? You think a girl could do that?’

  ‘There’s nothing to indicate that happened at the same time,’ Cafferty said, pulling his arms even more tightly across his chest.

  ‘Hey, sergeant, I’m not here to give you a hard time. I brought my friend in to talk to you. He has some information that I am sure you will find very useful.’

  Jake stepped forward and stuck out his hand. ‘Jake Lovett.’

  Cafferty hesitated then brought his hand out to meet Jake’s. A quizzical look crossed the sergeant’s face. ‘You the guy in charge of the local FBI office?’

  ‘Yeah,’ Jake said.

  Cafferty turned back to Lucinda. ‘You brought in the Feebs?’ he whined.

  ‘Sergeant,’ Jake interjected. ‘I’m not officially on this case and the FBI is not involved. I’m just trying to help out.’

  ‘Mmm hmm,’ Cafferty said looking him over. He shifted his eyes back to Lucinda. ‘Really, lieutenant, the Feebs? The first time I’m ever in charge of an investigation and you do this?’

  ‘I’m here to help, sergeant. Why don’t you listen to what he has to say before you get on my case?’

  Cafferty sighed and blew out a hard breath. ‘OK. Let me have it.’

  Jake ran down his conversation with Jessica.

  ‘OK. But it is a bit vague. What am I supposed to do with that?’

  ‘I’ll give you a statement, not an official report – a statement as a private citizen. You can get one from the principal, too. That gives you enough to bring in the three girls and Jessica’s brother,’ Jake said.

  ‘Sure makes everything complicated.’

  ‘I know, sergeant,’ Lucinda said. ‘But you surely don’t want a wrongful conviction on your conscience.’

  ‘You should know about that, lieutenant,’ Cafferty said. Once the words were out of his mouth, he winced. ‘Sorry, lieutenant. That was out of line.’

  Lucinda clenched her teeth, holding back a nasty retort, as the color rose in her cheeks. She reminded herself that she needed to help Charley and she couldn’t do that if she became defensive. ‘It’s accurate, Cafferty. Just make sure you do the right thing here.’ She spun on her heels, leaving Jake with the sergeant and heading up to her office before she lost her temper, yet again.

  Lucinda sat down and reviewed the Sherman files in preparation for the next day’s interview with Trevor Phillips. She wrote down the questions, painfully aware of the need for subtlety and gentle maneuvering. The last thing she wanted to do was to freak out the kid or alienate the psychologist.

  Forty-five minutes later, Jake joined her. ‘I gave him my statement. He said he was going to talk to the principal and bring in the kids with their parents. He was still whining about you when I left.’

  ‘Of course he was.’

  ‘You intimidate him, Lucinda.’

  ‘Me. How the heck does he think he can interview a real hardass perp if I scare him?’

  ‘Got me,’ Jake said and laughed. ‘What now?’

  ‘Would you look over the Sherman files and give me suggestions on how to handle the interview with Trevor?’

  ‘Hey, you’re more experienced at that than I am,’ Jake objected.

  ‘Another viewpoint would be helpful, Jake. I don’t want to blow this and besides you were once a fifteen-year-old boy. I wasn’t. Your perspective could be very useful.’

  ‘Yeah, sure. Hand me some folders. You know what might be the best help for you?’

  ‘What’s that?’

  ‘Think about what happened to you with your parents.’

  ‘Don’t want to go there, Jake.’

  ‘But you need to go there. Consider how you would have reacted if your father shot your mother but didn’t commit suicide afterwards. Would you have accused him? Or would you have remained silent, going along with whatever story he presented by default?’

  ‘I don’t think I would have let him get away with it, Jake – he killed my mother.’

  ‘OK, but take it one step further. Pretend you’re Trevor. Pretend you are not a girl whose identity is wrapped up in her mother’s, but a boy who identifies with his father. You think about that and it will guide you. And let him know you’ve been there, too. It will help you understand him and help him relate to you.’

  ‘I think I already knew that, Jake. I was just resisting it. It’s hard.’

  ‘I know,’ he acknowledged. ‘Let’s dig in and see what else we can find.’

  They lost track of time as they buried themselves in the pile of paper, growing oblivious to anything or anyone outside of their circle of two. They both started when Captain Holland shouted through the doorway, ‘My office, Pierce. Now.’

  Lucinda winced. As she left her office, Jake whispered, ‘Good luck.’

  The captain was already back behind his desk, his attention absorbed by the papers he signed and initialed as Lucinda waited for him to turn his focus onto her. When he did, she wished he hadn’t.

  He looked up from his work and stared up at her as if surprised she was there. ‘What’s wrong with you, Pierce?’

  ‘Sir?’

  ‘I just got a call from the captain down in property crimes. He chewed out my tail because you’re bullying one of his detectives. And to make it worse, it’s over a case that’s none of your business and in which you have a clear conflict of interest. I ask again, Pierce, what the hell is wrong with you?’

  ‘Sir, I—’

  ‘I don’t want to hear it, Pierce.’ He pointed his finger at her, jabbing with every word. ‘You stay clear of this case, clear of Sergeant Cafferty and clear of the Spencer family. Until this is over, you are not to see, talk to or otherwise communicate with any member of that family. Is that clear?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘Get out of my office.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘And stop causing problems for me,’ he shouted. Then he muttered as she left, ‘All over a vandalism case – a stupid vandalism case. Why can’t I have one peaceful day?’

  As Lucinda made a beeline back to her office, the captain’s voice faded away. She walked into her space, shut the door behind her and leaned her head back against it. ‘Whew!’

  ‘Well, that was short,’ Jake said.

  ‘But definitely not sweet,’ she added.

  ‘While you were gone, Dr Spencer called.’

  ‘I can’t talk to him.’

  ‘Why can
’t you talk to him?’

  ‘Direct orders – I can’t talk to anyone in the family.’

  ‘Seriously?’

  ‘Yes. And he really means it. He didn’t even give me a second to explain myself.’

  ‘Doesn’t he understand you have a personal relationship there?’

  ‘Oh, yeah, he understands. That’s the problem. But wait . . .’ Lucinda said, a smile slowly building on her face.

  ‘What are you thinking?’

  ‘He never said a word about Bill Waller. He never said I couldn’t talk to Charley’s lawyer.’

  ‘You’re asking for trouble, Lucy.’

  She snorted. ‘What’s new?’

  Lucinda waited until that evening to contact Bill Waller. She used the phone in her apartment and called him at his home. His wife answered.

  ‘Bill Waller, please,’ Lucinda said.

  ‘May I tell him who is calling?’

  ‘Just tell him I have important information about one of his cases.’

  ‘Why don’t you just call him at the office in the morning? He’s usually in by eight. Do you have that number?’

  ‘Ma’am, I cannot call him at his office.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Ma’am, this really can’t wait.’ Only silence. After a moment, Lucinda said, ‘Ma’am?’

  ‘Very well. I’ll go see if he can take a call right now.’

  Nearly a full minute had passed before she heard the phone pick up and Waller said, ‘Who is this?’

  ‘Lieutenant Lucinda Pierce.’

  ‘Well, why didn’t you say so, lieutenant? I suppose you’re calling about Charley. That little girl thinks the world of you.’

  Lucinda smiled. ‘Glad to hear it. Yes, sir. I wanted to let you know what I learned today.’

  ‘Oh, I can see why you don’t want anyone to know you called. Don’t worry, I won’t give you up.’

  ‘Thank you, sir,’ she said and related the day’s events to the attorney.

  ‘Do you think that detective will follow up on the information you provided?’

  ‘Don’t know. I think he will. I think he has to do it to some extent. He did take Agent Lovett’s statement.’

  ‘True. And if he hides that bit of evidence, I’ll be able to specify it. But he’s pretty new on the job. Would he think he could get away with that? Would he go along if his supervisor or the state told him to bury it?’

  ‘I don’t think so, sir. Sergeant Cafferty might be inexperienced but he has never done anything to make me doubt his ethical standards.’

  ‘OK, that’s good enough for me for now, lieutenant. Anything else?’

  ‘I’d like to ask you to do me a favor.’

  ‘And what might that be?’

  ‘Could you let Charley and Evan know that I’ve been forbidden to talk to them? And tell them how sorry I am? And that I’ll be back in touch as soon as I can?’

  ‘Be glad to do it, lieutenant.’

  ‘And tell Charley I love her.’

  ‘I think she knows that.’

  ‘Please. Tell her anyway.’

  ‘Will do, lieutenant. And if you need to call me again, here or at work, just say you’re from the bar association. They’re lobbying me to get on the board right now. You’ll have no problem getting put through.’

  As soon as Lucinda disconnected the call, she felt pangs of regret. She would do anything for Charley, but she’d just put her trust – and her fate – in the hands of a defense attorney. If he ever thought it was in Charley’s best interests, he’d turn on me in a heartbeat, she thought. If word got to the department, she might not lose her job but she’d be painted as a traitor – a betrayer of fellow officers – a Benedict Arnold or worse.

  She sighed and scooped up her gray tabby, Chester, and let the softness of his coat, the vibrations in his chest and the sweet sound of his purr comfort her as she walked down the hall to her bed.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  The next morning, as Lucinda stepped into the homicide division and passed the desk of Kristen, the division receptionist, the young woman smiled at her and said, ‘Captain Holland would like to see you right away, lieutenant.’

  Lucinda rolled her eye and trudged down the hall.

  ‘Lieutenant, did you hear me?’ Kristen asked.

  Without looking back, Lucinda lifted a hand in the air and waved an acknowledgement. She slipped into the captain’s office expecting the worst.

  ‘Please, Pierce, take that lamb-going-to-slaughter look off your face. I just wanted an update on your progress with the Phillips case. The DA is ragging on me about it.’

  Pierce related the conversation with Trevor Phillips’ grandparents, the demands of his psychologist and the upcoming interview with Trevor that afternoon. ‘And that’s where we stand right now, sir.’

  ‘Good,’ he said as he nodded. ‘You actually followed my orders. This could be a first.’

  ‘Not fair, sir.’

  ‘Aw, Pierce, you don’t really want me to start listing all the orders you’ve violated. If I do that I might convince myself that you need to be terminated for gross insubordination.’

  Before she could answer, Kristen’s voice came over the speaker in the phone on the captain’s desk. ‘Sir, there is an attorney downstairs . . .’

  ‘I’m sure there are a lot of them down there, Kristen, but don’t worry, they usually won’t bite. It’ll have to wait. I’m in conference with one of my detectives right now.’

  ‘But sir, he said if he doesn’t see Lieutenant Pierce in the next ten minutes, he’s contacting the police chief and if he can’t get through there, either, he’s calling the mayor – and he said that his wife and the mayor’s wife are good friends so he knows that the mayor will take his call.’

  Holland shook his head. ‘Tell them to send him up and escort him into my office when he gets here.’ Holland glared at Lucinda. ‘What’s this all about?’

  Lucinda suspected it was Martha Sherman’s attorney but she wasn’t certain and would not say if she was. ‘What was his name?’

  ‘She didn’t say, Pierce. What case is this about?’

  ‘Without the lawyer’s name, sir, I don’t know how I’d know.’

  ‘I heard you were somehow involved in getting Bill Waller to defend your little friend. I hope that’s not who’s on his way up here.’

  Lucinda hoped so, too. If Bill Waller was about to sell her out already, last night’s call was a major blunder. To her great relief, Kristen appeared in the doorway with a scrawny little man with a sharp nose, beady eyes and thin lips. She wondered if he always looked like he was ready to throw a punch.

  ‘Mr Nelson Culver, sir,’ Kristen said and backed away.

  ‘Come in, sir, and have a seat,’ the captain said.

  He zeroed in on Lucinda. ‘The fact that you are not willing to face me one-on-one, lieutenant, tells me a lot – confirms many of my suspicions.’

  ‘It was my decision, Mr Culver. Not the lieutenant’s.’

  ‘I suppose that’s a marginal improvement. Very well. I am here on behalf of my client, Martha Sherman.’

  ‘Perhaps it would be more useful for you to speak to the district attorney, Mr Culver. He’s the only one that can authorize your client’s release.’

  ‘I just have a few questions of the lieutenant, captain. If you’ll just give me a moment.’

  ‘I may not allow her to answer all your questions.’

  Culver nodded. ‘Understood.’ Then he turned to Lucinda, who was marveling at his acting abilities. ‘Am I correct that the lead detective in the investigation of my client is deceased?’

  ‘Yes, sir, Lieutenant Boswell had a fatal heart attack on the witness stand at your client’s trial.’

  ‘Just for clarity, I was not her trial attorney. She became my client during the appeals process. Now. Lieutenant. You took Lieutenant Boswell’s place on the witness stand, correct?’

  ‘Yes, sir, I did.’

  ‘And you were involved with
the investigation from the beginning, correct?’

  ‘Yes, sir, I responded with Lieutenant Boswell on the first call and assisted him thereafter.’

  ‘Fine. Now tell me about the interview with Lisa Pedigo.’

  The captain jerked to his feet. ‘This is a conversation you need to be having with the district attorney.’

  Lucinda had prepared for that question and wanted to answer it but if she did now, she’d give herself away.

  Culver ignored Holland and blurted out another question: ‘Why did you withhold that interview from the prosecution?’

  ‘Don’t answer that, Pierce.’

  Nothing was going as planned, Lucinda thought. This was really a dumb idea. She prayed that Culver would not blow his cool and blow her cover.

  ‘Fine, captain. But there’s one more thing—’

  ‘There’s no more thing. I am calling the district attorney and arranging for you to continue this conversation with him.’ He picked up his phone and asked for Michael Reed.

  ‘I do have one more thing,’ he said, pulling a folded document with a blue cover out of his suit pocket. ‘A subpoena for the lieutenant to appear about this matter for a hearing before the trial judge’s bench on Monday afternoon.’

  Holland spoke into the phone. ‘Martha Sherman’s attorney is down here and he’s asking questions that I don’t think Lieutenant Pierce should answer,’ the captain said, then paused to listen. ‘No, sir, she didn’t answer any inappropriate questions.’ He ran a beefy hand through the gray and red bristles on the top of his head. ‘He has served her with a subpoena for a hearing on Monday afternoon.’ The captain winced and held the phone away from his ear.

  Lucinda heard the anger in Reed’s voice but could not distinguish his words.

  The captain pulled the receiver back to his ear. ‘Do you think that’s wise, Reed?’ The captain winced again. ‘I’ll do it. No problem.’

  Holland hung up, rose from his seat and gestured Lucinda out into the hall. ‘Just give us a moment, Mr Culver, if you please?’

  They walked away from the office far enough not to be overheard. ‘Reed wants you to escort Culver upstairs. I think that’s pretty stupid. It gives Culver time to confront you alone in the elevator. But Reed insisted.’